The Real Deal New York

Leasing at Continental to begin next month

Leasing will begin in weeks at the Continental, the Costas Kondylis-designed rental tower at 885 Sixth Avenue on the corner of 32nd Street.

Clifford Finn — director of new development marketing at Citi Habitats, who, along with his company, began working on the project, formerly known as Tower 111, about a year ago — said that the 338-unit Continental will likely begin leasing units in mid- to late-January, with studios starting around $2,500 per month, one-bedrooms around $3,500 and two-bedrooms renting for around $6,000.

The 53-story building is a stone’s throw from the Beatrice, which is the rental portion of The Eventi Hotel On Sixth Avenue between 29th and 30th streets. (Citi Habitats is also marketing those rentals.)

Finn said that while similar renters would be attracted to both buildings, he doesn’t believe the two buildings will undermine each other.

“There are similarities, I think, when you look at all the buildings on the Sixth Avenue corridor,” Finn said. “My job is to take each building and give it its own identity,” by molding the different properties’ images.

The project, which saw a brief construction stop during its nascent stages in 2008, has seen smooth sailing as of late, according to Finn.

Even though it’s not necessarily a family-friendly area, the neighborhood’s reputation as an office-only haven is starting to melt away.

“It’s one of those neighborhoods that started out one way and transitioned to another,” Finn said, noting the recent unveiling of a Trader Joe’s on Sixth Avenue near the corner of 21st Street and the Eventi’s Food Parc eatery, a few blocks south of the Continental. There’s also a Whole Foods located at 24th Street and Seventh Avenue.

Interior images of the building have yet to be released, but marketing is likely to begin in earnest after the New Year.